Here's a quick summary table for reference of how long after each surgery until I reached the listed "milestones".
Summary
of how long after each surgery I was able to reach each milestone
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Right
foot (Dec 1, 2014)
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Left
foot (Mar 20, 2015)
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Walking without crutches
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4 days
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2 days
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Walking without the aircast boot
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11 days
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10 days
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Sleeping with the aircast boot
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11 days
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10 days
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Sleeping with the aircast brace
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4 weeks
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2 weeks
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Stitches out
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10 days
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17 days
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Walking comfortably
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3 weeks
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3 weeks
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Walking for exercise
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3-4 weeks
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3-4 weeks
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Wearing heels
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8 weeks
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6 weeks
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Taking flights
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3 weeks
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2 weeks
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Elliptical machine exercise
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6 weeks
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4 weeks
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Running (treadmill)
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12 weeks
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6 weeks
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Running (outside)
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14 weeks
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12 weeks
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Thanks for your time table about your foot surgery recovery milestones. One would be surprised how much we can take our feet for granted. As a triathlete, not being able to be active for 12 to 14 weeks would be very difficult. What did you do to try and remain active while recovering? http://podiatrist-footcare-surgeonny.com
ReplyDeleteHello, Jonathan! I can totally empathize as being active truly provides a benefit in all aspects of life including better sleep, appetite, mood/cognition, etc. So, it was very hard to be so limited in my first few weeks. I had to start slowly which meant simply putting on my very supportive running shoes and walking a few miles at a time until I could build up to about 4 miles. This is good for the first month; then I quickly moved to the elliptical machine at the gym. I'm typically not a fan of the workout machines as I prefer to run outdoors or ride my bike outdoors, but that is too much impact too soon at around 4 weeks. So, from week 5 to week 10, try adding in the elliptical machine for 4-5 miles, and then also spinning (classes are great as this is a relatively boring activity to do on your own). During my recovery, I made it a point to do some sort of activity every other day for at least one hour which helped me ease back into running. I wish you the best of luck!
Deleteappreciate you taking the time to do this - I'm 10 days post op on my right foot and trying to figure out a rough idea as to how I'm progressing- your blog really helped
ReplyDeleteHi, Chris - wow! 10-days post-op?! That means you probably haven't gotten your stitches out yet? Once you get the wound dressing removed (don't be surprised by the bruising at the bottom of your heel and near the incision site) and the stitches out, the healing seems to go so much faster. I also added extra Vitamin C into my diet by taking one of those EmergenC packets with some water each morning; I did a lot of reading that Vitamin C really helps with naturally healing wounds and easing any trama from the procedure. My surgeon gave me a lot of positive feedback that he was very pleased at how nicely my wounds healed and how quickly I was back to running on the road. I think the Vitamin C helped, also, I typically eat rather healthy in general, so I'm sure all of that contributed to it. Remember to wear supportive running shoes with your orthotics (even if you're just walking around casually). Be nice to your foot while it's healing especially in the first 3-4 weeks, and then start to push it with adding gradual activity. Good luck and keep me posted!
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